Awakening
by Celeste Belle
Summary: Ron and Hermione have been married for 10 years. When their marriage begins to fall apart, will they be able to put it back together? Will Hermione be able to forgive Ron? Will Ron notice what he has before it's too late? Sad, but no deaths. Lemon alert.


Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: This is a song-fic based on Like a Woman by Jamie O'Neal. The song will appear **after** I have set up the plot. It will be in Itallics. I bet you can guess when it's about to show up. I apologize if the song being between what is happening annoys you. It is necessary in this fic, but it will be broken up. This is a bit sad, but no one dies. Lemon Alert! My first one. Enjoy!

Awakening

The first five years of marriage were bliss. They reveled in each other's bodies and hearts. A simple kiss or a touch was enough. Then came the nights. The wild, passion filled nights that left no doubt that they were in love, that he desired her. But, when six years came along, things changed. Ron began working late. They fought more, and made up less. He slept over at the Burrow more frequently. But they always made it through. Now, after ten years of marriage, with still no children, her doubts had solidified. Those silly notions that as long as they had each other everything would be alright were over. Dead. He worked late, and left early. They barely spoke during meals, and they hadn't made love in over a year. He didn't even hold her at night anymore. Just rolled over and snored. She doubted herself, her body, and their marriage. Why didn't he want her anymore? Was his work so much more important?

On their ten-year anniversary, when she could finally take it no longer, and had made up her mind to confront him—because that's what Hermione does: fight for what she loves—he didn't show up. One night, Ron just didn't come home for dinner. A silly floo call later, and she knew he was working late. Again. For the last time. If he didn't want her anymore, then she would leave. Better to be on her own than to live through this misery day after day, hoping for a spark of the fire they'd once shared, an ounce of the love he had once shown her. She went up to their room raising her wand and packing all of her clothes with a single flick of her wrist. Glancing around the room, she tried to decide what to take. The pictures? No. Except the one of the Golden Trio. Maybe their wedding picture? No. Too painful. Her books? Definitely, though they didn't seem quite as important anymore.

So entranced with what she was doing, and making sure everything was packed just so, she didn't hear the floo, or the bedroom door open. "What's going on?" Ron suddenly asked from the doorway.

Startled, she whirled around, wand pointed at the intruder. Realizing it was just Ron, she lowered her wand, but continued packing, trying to control her tears. Leaving would have been easier without having to see him. "'Mione? What's going on?" he repeated

Choking back a sob, she rounded on him for their last fight. She couldn't take it anymore. "I'm leaving Ronald!"

"Why?" he asked, eyes going wide, "What happened?"

"Do you even know what today is!?" she all but screeched

"…"

Not giving him much chance to respond, she continued. "Our anniversary, Ronald! Our anniversary! You forgot! You worked late on our special night! Not that that means anything anymore! A fancy dinner out somewhere public with reporters taking our pictures for our last few anniversaries is not romantic!" she was all but screaming now. "I just want you to…." She trailed off, sinking to the floor. "I just…" she couldn't continue. Wrapping her arms around herself, she shook as her body was wracked with sobs.

Not sure what to do, he knelt beside her. Reaching over to place a hand on her cheek, he was startled when she sighed at the contact. Suddenly realizing exactly how long it had been since they had last made love, he shuddered. Then, a new realization hit him. It had been at least as long since they had kissed, or hugged, or held hands…or even touched for that matter. He felt so stupid. "I'm so sorry, Hermione." He gasped as he raised his other hand to frame her face, and tried to wipe away the tears that kept flowing. "I've been so selfish. I just kept throwing myself into my work. Taking more and more missions. What can I do to make it up to you?" he all but cried.

Hermione thought for a moment. She really didn't want to leave him, but she just didn't know if she could survive one more time of him ignoring her for so long.

_Sometimes I think about the way it was,  
When we fell in love.  
Things were different then  
Innocent and wide open,  
Free and beautiful  
I want to feel like that again  
But somewhere along the journey  
I lost a part of me  
And I know you can help me get it back  
Yeah help me get it back_

Cupping his face in her hands and forcing him to look at her, she said "I don't know if this can be fixed, Ron. I honestly don't know if we can work through this."

"We can." He said, almost desperately "Hermione I will do anything. I'm sorry. I was just so happy to finally be doing something right, that I guess I forgot about you. Forgot about us. I will drop missions. I won't volunteer anymore. I'll be home for dinner every night. I'll cook. I'll quit. I—"

"Why did you take on all those extra missions?" She asked

"I just…I guess I just felt like I needed to prove I could do it. Prove I was as good as the people thought. But I see now that none of that matters. Only you matter."

Hermione, still distraught, couldn't seem to grasp onto his words. He was apologizing, she knew, saying that he would try, that they would be fine, but…she needed to ask one last thing before her heart could be healed. If it ever could be.

"Do you still love me?" Her voice sounded so small, but it was the question she had needed to ask for so long.

Startled, Ron jerked back as though he had been struck. _Has she been thinking that all this time? That I don't love her anymore?_

"Why would you ask that, Hermione?" he replied, instead of giving the immediate assurance that he knew she needed.

"I just…" her words seemed to falter at the loss of his touch. "I just…" she couldn't really explain this, could she? "We haven't made love in so long…and…you never seem to want to come home. Would you have come home more often if we had had children? If I hadn't thrown myself into my career those first years, and agreed to be a stay-at-home mom for a while? If I could just have—"

"Hermione…" Ron interjected, pulling her close, and relishing in the sigh that came from her lips at the contact. It felt so good to hold her again. He would never be able to explain to her, or even himself, why he had done this. "Hermione, of course I love you. You, and only you. I could never stop loving you. I'm sorry. What can I say, or do, to make you believe that?"

Her first thought was to tell him to just keep holding her, like he used to. "Hold me." His arms tightened, and he pressed his face into her hair. "And promise that this will _**never**_ happen again. Please, Ron." Her voice turned to pleading. "I don't think I could stand it if this happened again."

"Never." He vowed, meaning it with all of his heart and soul.

She placed her arms around his neck. For a while, they just embraced. Then, he lifted her into his strong arms and walked to the bed.

_Baby lay me down on our bed  
Touch my body like only you can  
Kiss me softly,  
Take away my breath  
Slow it down and make it real  
Cause tonight I want to feel  
Like a woman._

Laying her gently on the bed, he wiped away the last of her tears. Then, he captured her mouth in a kiss born from love, loneliness, and passion. Tangling her hands in his hair, she pulled him closer, unwilling to let this moment escape, in case it was the last one she got. That thought brought another tear down her face. Ron pulled away softly.

"I love you, Hermione Weasley." Kissing the trail the tear had left, he pulled her shirt over her head. Planting kisses down her neck, he paused at her collar bone, suckling the skin.

"Ron," she whimpered, "I love you, too."

As he kissed and nipped her skin, she became frantic. It had been too long. There would be time for tenderness later. Now…now she needed him. "Ron," she gasped as his fingers dipped below the waistband of her jeans.

_You're the one who really gets me  
Honey let me,  
Feel the fire in your hands  
I know you can keep me burning  
Feel the yearning  
Cause you're still my only man  
Give me all that I can handle  
Light a candle _

_Only you can bring me back to life  
Oh I need you tonight_

As his hands and lips blazed a trail across her body, she panted. "Ron, now. Please."

Smiling at the pleas of his wife, he complied. Reaching around her, he unhooked her bra to release, firm, full breasts. Her hands swiftly relieved him of his shirt, and had started working on his pants when he stopped her with a low growl. It had been too long, and he knew she wanted it fast, but he wanted…no, needed to take his time. She would release at least once before they coupled. Dragging her jeans and panties down her lithe legs, his mouth latched onto her nipple. As she arched off the bed, he wrapped his arms more fully around her, laving attention on first one breast, and then another.

Kissing his way down her body, he stopped to pay homage to her stomach, hips, and thighs before moving back to her stomach. Placing sharp nips on her hipbones which he immediately soothed with his tongue, he moved his fingers into her womanhood. Using skills that only _**his**_ fingers knew, he brought her quickly to climax.

Screaming as she released, Hermione was entranced by the feel of Ron's fingers still inside her, slowly bringing her down from her high. As he kissed his way back up her body, she reached for his zipper. Capturing her mouth with his, he aided her shaking fingers as they tried to remove his pants and boxers. Sliding them down his legs and kicking them off, he marveled at the feel of her body against his. How he could have gone so long without this, could have missed this, he didn't think he would ever know.

_Finally_. Hermione thought with a pleased sigh, as she rolled over so that she leaned over him. Kissing him again, and again, as she explored his body with her hands, she marveled at her husband's form. The muscles he used every day as an Auror never ceased to capture her attention. Drawing circles on his abdomen as she kissed her way down his chest, she smiled. This was the fire she had been looking for. It wasn't lost, just misplaced. As she returned the favor and placed little nips along his body, she reached her hand down to touch him. She was startled when he pulled her back up and flipped them over. Leaning over her, he slowly bent to capture her lips again. She sighed. There would be time to fully rediscover each others' bodies later. Right now, they needed each other.

_Baby lay me down on our bed  
Touch my body like only you can  
Kiss me softly,  
Take away my breath  
Slow it down and make it real  
Cause tonight I want to feel  
Like a woman._

As he rubbed his swollen member against her warmth, a few more tears ran down her smiling face. He placed his cheek against hers and slid into her. They both gasped at the feeling of being whole. It had been too long since they had last felt this connected. As he began moving, she wrapped her legs around his waist. Clinging to his back as they made love for the first time in ages, she whispered "I love you, so much."

_Like a woman touched for the first time  
Like a flower that blooms in the sunshine  
I need to feel your love inside of me_

He whispered "I love you" in reply as they both moved together in the age-old dance. "Ron," she whispered over and over as they neared completion. "Hermione," he replied as he leaned over to capture her mouth once again. As he stroked in and out of her, their cries got louder, their pleasure multiplied until finally they reached the pinnacle together. Ron collapsed on her, gasping as he rested his head on her shoulder. Hermione trembled as she clutched him to her, stroking his vibrant red hair. Rolling to the side, Ron pulled Hermione into his strong arms, and placed a tender kiss upon her temple. "I'm sorry." He apologized again. Shaking her head, she replied "Don't. It's alright now. We just have to spend a little more time together."

"And do this more often?"

Laughing, she replied "Yes, Ron. We should definitely do this more often. Like we used to."

Nodding, he pulled her closer as she burrowed into his arms, content to spend the rest of her life there.

"I love you, very, very much, 'Mione, my beloved wife."

"And I love you, Ron, my darling husband."

_Yeah  
Like a woman  
Like a woman_

After the realization that he had hurt his wife more deeply than he could have imagined, Ron spent less time at the office, and took fewer missions. He brought her flowers and other random presents just because he felt like it. But he knew that he couldn't buy back her forgiveness, or her love. But he did all that he could. And so did she. They had dinner together every night, and often got to spend lunch together as well. All was well in their little world. And Hermione's news for Ron the following month was more than he could have hoped for. As they lay in bed, holding each other after a night of passion, she whispered "How would you like to be a father?" Ron's eyes filled with tears, and as they spilled over, and he kissed Hermione deeply, he thanked God for every blessing in his life—especially those to come.

A/N: I revised it a bit after the first time I posted it. Hope you enjoyed it. After all, this was my FIRST lemon story. No flames! This lemon is tastefully written. If you didn't like it because you are not yet mature enough to appreciate good writing, just don't review, and stop reading lemons! Leave a constructive review. C B


End file.
